Albanian Language Media:

• Osmani tells Berlin Global Dialogue, “Kosovo is open for investment” (media)
• CEC on eventual early elections: We’ll meet our constitutional mandate (EO)
• Xhaferi: We are closer to early elections (RTV21)
• Albanian media: Liburn Aliu appointed director of Port of Durres (media)
• Gowing: Serbia is not interested in the well-being of the Kosovo Serbs (KTV)

Serbian Language Media:

• Implementation of laws on foreigners and vehicles to start on January 15 (media)
• Starovic: No giving up on national interests, recognition of Kosovo not a condition for EU (Kosovo Online, K1, Tanjug, Danas)
• Trial to former police officer Sacir Lutvia from Gora nears its end (RTS, Radio kontakt plus)
• Hearing in Banjska case adjourned, no video-link established with witness from North Macedonia (KoSSev)
• Vehicles with Serbian licence plates pelted with eggs and stones near Merdare, two women drivers harassed, driver says (Media Centar, Radio Kontakt plus, Radio KIM)
• Stamenkovic to OKiM: Protect Serbs, but not verbally (KiM radio)
• Vucic: Important discussions ahead on energy situation (Tanjug, media)
• Vucevic again accuses students of planning violence for November 1 (N1)
• “Stand with Novi Sad”: Zagreb students announce rally outside Serbian Embassy on November 1 (N1)

International:

• Kosovo awaits President’s next move as Kurti fails to security majority in parliament (PI)

Albanian Language Media

Osmani tells Berlin Global Dialogue, “Kosovo is open for investment” (media)

Kosovo President Vjosa Osmani attended the Berlin Global Dialogue and said that it was “a series of inspiring discussions, valuable meetings, and new partnerships, all driven by a shared goal: bringing Kosovo even closer to the European Union”. “The Berlin Global Dialogue serves as a platform that unites political and business leaders to discuss the importance of policymaking that truly serves people, strengthens the economy, and shapes a better future,” she said.

Osmani also said that in the dialogue, she presented “Kosovo’s growing potential before distinguished business leaders from around the world. Kosovo is open for investment and ready to fully integrate into global markets - not as a low-cost destination, but as an economy built on trust, guided by principles, and driven by strategic growth”.

See more at: https://tinyurl.com/d3y9bhyn

CEC on eventual early elections: We’ll meet our constitutional mandate (EO)

Spokesperson for Kosovo’s Central Election Commission (CEC), Valmir Elezi, said in an interview with the news website today, that they are focused on concluding the process of the October 12 local elections, but that they also remain committed to meeting constitutional obligations in the event of early parliamentary elections. “Currently, the Central Election Commission is engaged in concluding the process of Local Elections and on preparations for the second round of elections for mayors. As we have always said, the Central Election Commission remains committed to meet its constitutional and legal obligations, anytime that an election process is officially announced,” he said.

Elezi said that organizing a new election process within a short period of time is a challenge for the CEC and its staff, “especially because of the fact that we are still in the active phase of administering the local elections”. “But the CEC, as always, will act in line with its legal mandate and undertake all necessary measures if a decision is made to go to new [parliamentary] elections,” he said.

Xhaferi: We are closer to early elections (RTV21)

MP from the Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK) Krenar Xhaferi, in an interview with the news website, said that after Vetevendosje’s failure to form the new government, Kosovo is going to early parliamentary elections. “We are in a dire political situation in Kosovo because we still don’t have a new government even after many months. Yesterday it was proved that they [the Vetevendosje Movement] don’t have enough votes, although for months in a row they said let’s form the Assembly and then try us for the formation of the government. The opposition doesn’t have enough votes, so the country is going to early elections. But logically this should not happen without solving the issue of the President too and other problems we are faced with. In my opinion, the best decision would be to follow the LDK’s proposal for a transitional eight-month or nine-month government that would calm down the political landscape and then certainly we could do to new elections which would create a completely new momentum in the polit

Albanian media: Liburn Aliu appointed director of Port of Durres (media)

Citing reports by media in Albania, several media outlets in Kosovo report that Lundrim Aliu, former Minister of Infrastructure of Kosovo, has been appointed director of the Port of Durres, Albania. Aliu resigned his post in the Kosovo government in late August this year, one day after Dimal Basha was elected Speaker of the Assembly. In a later post on social media, Aliu said that Basha’s election was the main reason for his resignation from the government. 

Gowing: Serbia is not interested in the well-being of the Kosovo Serbs (KTV)

Elizabeth Gowing, British author and activist, said in a podcast with publicist Veton Surroi, that Serbia is not interested in the well-being of Serbs living in Kosovo. She argued that although there is a strong historical and cultural tie between the Serb community in Kosovo and Serbia, Belgrade’s actions often block the development and integration of the Serb community in Kosovo’s society. “I have seen in some very specific cases how this country [Serbia] does not lobby for the good of Serbs in Kosovo. This frustrates me the most, because when Serbia blocks their development, it becomes very difficult for them to integrate and to have basic rights,” she said.

Gowing highlighted the example of the work of the Kosovo Government’s Commission for the Verification of Diplomas, which she led, saying that “through the work of the mechanism around 450 diplomas of Serb-speaking citizens were verified in order to enable their employment in the institutions of the Republic of Kosovo”. Gowing said that Belgrade, however, has asked high schools in the north of Kosovo not to cooperate with the commission, although the sole purpose was the employment of Serbs. “This shows that the government in Serbia is not interested in the well-being of Kosovo Serbs but aims to block any connection with the opportunities that Kosovo offers,” she said.

Serbian Language Media 

Implementation of laws on foreigners and vehicles to start on January 15 (media)

The implementation of laws on foreigners and vehicles will start in Kosovo as of January 15, 2026, Alternativna.com portal reported on Friday. In practice this means that people will no longer be able to drive vehicles with authorization, and those without Kosovo documents would have to report to the police, if they stay in Kosovo for longer than three days.

Kosovo police deputy police commander for the region North, Veton Elshani confirmed this news to ZubinPotok.info portal. The Kosovo Ministry of Internal Affairs also informed the public that they will run an information campaign from November 1, 2025 to January 15, 2026 on the implementation of these two laws.

Alternativna.com portal recalled that implementation of these two laws directly affect Serbs who live, work, and educate in Kosovo, including students, and who do not have Kosovo documents or have documents from central Serbia.

Also, drivers, Serbs from Kosovo, who drive their vehicles with authorizations and registration plates from central Serbia will be affected.

Starovic: No giving up on national interests, recognition of Kosovo not a condition for the EU (Kosovo Online, K1, Tanjug, Danas)

Serbian European Integration Minister, Nemanja Starovic said today recognition of Kosovo is not a formal condition for membership in the European Union, adding nowhere does it say that mutual recognition is necessary, because if it were the case - there would be nothing from that membership.

Asked whether Kosovo is a "stumbling block" on Serbia's path to the EU, Starovic told K1 that the negotiation framework defines obligations to reach a comprehensive legally binding normalization of relations between Belgrade and Pristina.

"Kosovo is certainly not a formal condition. What is defined in the negotiation framework is the obligation to reach a comprehensive legally binding normalization of relations. Of course, some read in it the obligation of mutual recognition, but that is not how it is written. If it were written like that, there would be nothing from membership, because the protection of national interests is at the heart of all of us," said Starovic.

He pointed out that the matter is completely clear and that, as far as the current government is concerned, there is no giving up on national interests. Starovic expressed his belief it is possible to progress on the European path despite this issue, adding this will be visible in the coming period.

He assessed there is a possibility President Aleksandar Vucic also spoke about, that Serbia becomes a member of the EU before 2030, stressing that it is a possibility, because not everything is in the hands of Belgrade, but depends on the consensus of the member states of the Union.

"There is some kind of formula that no candidate country can become a member if it has unresolved territorial disputes, but we saw with the example of Cyprus, which does not control a good part of the territory, that there are different examples. There is also a change of approach when talking about some candidate countries, such as it was said for Moldova and Ukraine where the fact that they do not control part of their territory does not mean closing the European road. We have to use those types of precedents and policy changes," said Starovic. 

Trial to former police officer Sacir Lutvia from Gora nears its end (RTS, Radio kontakt plus)

Former member of the Serbian police, of Gorani ethnicity, Sacir Lutvia accused of allegedly committing war crimes in Kosovo was heard on Friday at the Basic Court in Pristina, Radio kontakt plus reported. He dismissed accusations he was charged with.

During the trial, Lutvia pointed out he was not the only police officer with a mole working in Prizren police station. The mole was the distinctive mark based on which witnesses identified him as the alleged perpetrator.

“The court was presented with material evidence which concluded beyond doubt that he was not (police) inspector, but uniformed police officer”, his defence lawyer Jovana Filipovic said. More than 25 witnesses were heard during his trial.

Adis Lutvia, the son of the defendant, also said his father was mistaken for another police officer in Prizren who worked there in 1999, and who also had a mole on his face. “There is a possibility that my father was mistaken for that other man, who was a police inspector in Prizren, and resembles the description of witnesses. My father was identified based on the mole and mustaches”, Adis said. Lawyer Filipovic also said several times during the trial the report on identification of the suspect was not done in accordance with the rules.

Sacir Lutvia has been in detention since his arrest in October 2023. The final hearing at which closing remarks will be presented is scheduled on November 7.  

Hearing in Banjska case adjourned, no video-link established with witness from North Macedonia (KoSSev)

Hearing in Banjska case, involving three arrested Serbs in relation to it, Blagoje Spasojevic, Dusan Maksimovic and Vladimir Tolic scheduled to take place today has been adjourned as no video-link with a witness in North Macedonia could be established, KoSSev portal reported.

The date of the next hearing will be announced at a later stage. In a hearing on October 20, a protected witness was interviewed, while the session was closed to the public, which caused objections from defense lawyers. At that hearing, it was also announced that a witness from Macedonia North will be interviewed today. 

Vehicles with Serbian licence plates pelted with eggs and stones near Merdare, two women drivers harassed, driver says (Media Centar, Radio Kontakt plus, Radio KIM)

Citing one of the affected car drivers, the Media Centar in Caglavica reported that a group of youngsters pelted with eggs and smaller stones two vehicles with Serbian licence plates, near Merdare on Friday.

“I was approaching Merdare, in the direction towards Nis. The column of vehicles was close to the Metropol restaurant, and when I slowed down, a group of youngsters, aged 15 to 16, who were across the restaurant started throwing things at my vehicle. I bypassed the column and went to (Kosovo) police to talk to them”, one of the drivers told Media Centar. As he said, after stepping out of the vehicle, he saw it was pelted with eggs.

Soon after him, two women who were also in a column, arrived, one with Serbian licence plates and the other one with Kosovo licence plates.

“The woman who had Serbian licence plates was in a vehicle with two female friends and two children. She told police officers the youngsters opened the door of her vehicle, kicked the vehicle, and pelted them with smaller stones inside. The other woman, who drove a vehicle with Kosovo licence plates, told police officers that youngsters approached her, she offered them candies, and upon hearing her speaking in Serbian, they started touching her on her body. The police officer only told her – go”, the driver said.

He also said he requested police to file the report, but was told they “have informed the commander and that they sent patrol to Metropol to see what it is about”. “They took my ID card, photographed it, and told me to go to the back of the column. I refused, because my mother, who was in the car with me, was afraid, so at the end they let me pass, same as a woman who drove a vehicle with Serbian plates”, he added.

Meanwhile, Kosovo police confirmed the incident, saying that two persons who travelled with, as it was said, foreign (Serbian) licence plates, reported that one of the vehicles was pelted with eggs by several young persons. As they said the police went to the spot but found no one, and that affected persons did not wish to wait for a unit from Podujevo station to report the case.

Stamenkovic to OKiM: Protect Serbs, but not verbally (KiM radio)

“We kindly ask that Mr. Petar Petkovic no longer ‘defends’ us. Each of his defences has become a symbol of powerlessness, insincerity and the lack of real will of Belgrade to protect the remaining Serbs in Kosovo and Metohija,” stated Stefan Stamenkovic from the CI Justice and Equality, commenting Petkovic’s address to the public yesterday, reported KiM radio.

Stamenkovic referred to the statement of the Director of the Office for KiM, Petar Petkovic, who reacted to parts of Albin Kurti’s address in the Assembly of Kosovo.

“Every day there are fewer and fewer of us, and it is not only the pressures of Pristina that are to blame, but also the wrong policy of Belgrade, which for thirteen years has been based on the principle: ‘No Serbs in Kosovo, (means) there are no problems’” Stamenkovic stated.

He opined that “Belgrade and Kurti, although formally opposed, implement the same essential policy - a policy that leads to the silent disappearance of our people”.

“The Office for KiM, instead of being the voice of the people, has become a party service of the Serbian List, closed to the common man who has no way to turn to and get help,” he added.

“Since 2021, every action carried out by the authorities in Pristina, the regime in Belgrade, through its representative Petkovic, has only been ‘condemned’. Nothing concrete has been undertaken, and that’s why there are between 30 and 40 thousand fewer of us since then,” said Stamenkovic from the CI “Justice and Equality”.

“If such a policy of ‘defence’ continues, in five to ten years only the elderly and exhausted will remain. It is high time that the Serbs are really protected, and not just verbally condemn the attacks on them,” Stefan Stamenkovic concluded.

Vucic: Important discussions ahead on energy situation (Tanjug, media)

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said on Sunday he would speak with Russian, US and European partners this week to find the best solution for Serbia when it comes to the energy situation and that, unless a solution was found this week, Serbia would next week make its own decisions to protect its population, Tanjug news agency reported. 

"After problems with the (US) sanctions on (Serbia's Russian-majority owned oil company) NIS, two difficult things have happened to us. One is the sanctions on Rosneft and Lukoil, especially Lukoil. They will take effect on November 21. The other is the accident, to put it that way. The investigation in Hungary will determine whether it was sabotage or a diversion", Vucic said in a video posted on Instagram.

He added that, as a result, Serbia had, or could have, problems with gas and undoubtedly had problems with oil.

Vucevic again accuses students of planning violence for November 1 (N1)

Leader of the ruling Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) Milos Vucevic said ‘’the state will react to any form of violence“ at the November 1 rally commemorating the anniversary of the canopy collapse at Novi Sad’s train station. Regarding the students’ demand for snap elections, he said he prefers them to be held by the end of next year. There is no doubt, if anyone commits violence, they will face consequences, and the state must enforce the law, Vucevic told Prva TV.

In his assessment, the November 1 rally in Novi Sad will only formally begin at the train station where a canopy collapse claimed 16 lives, but he believes it has no connection to the grief of the victims’ families.

Student protesters have invited all Serbian citizens to a large commemorative rally in Novi Sad on November 1, marking the anniversary of the Novi Sad train station tragedy.

“We have already seen rallies in Belgrade, Nis, and Kragujevac. To mobilize people to join them, they have to create something to keep the topic current. How do they show empathy for them – by smashing someone’s head or a shop window?” asked SNS leader Vucevic, who is also an advisor to the Serbian President. Vucevic also claimed that students from Novi Pazar are not walking to Novi Sad, but that it is merely being presented that way.

“Stand with Novi Sad”: Zagreb students announce rally outside Serbian Embassy on November 1 (N1)

Zagreb students announced they will organize a rally on November 1 in front of the Serbian Embassy in Zagreb to mark the anniversary of the canopy collapse at Novi Sad’s train station that claimed 16 lives.

In their announcement on Instagram, the students wrote that one year later, no one has been held accountable, 021.rs reported.

“Stand with Novi Sad,” is the call from the Zagreb students. “Stand for justice and truth. One world, one fight,” reads the post on the Instagram page of Faculty of Political Sciences Student Club.

International

Kosovo awaits President’s next move as Kurti fails to security majority in parliament (PI)

Kosovo’s acting Prime Minister Albin Kurti failed to secure enough support in parliament to form a new government, leaving President Vjosa Osmani to decide the next steps as opposition parties call for snap elections.

On Sunday, Kosovo’s acting Prime Minister Albin Kurti,—head of Vetevendosje, the winning party in February’s elections—was unable to secure the necessary votes in parliament to start his third term in office.

During Sunday’s session, only 56 MPs voted in favor of his proposed cabinet—five short of the required 61 votes for approval—52 voted against, while four abstained.

This was the first time in more than two decades that Kosovo MPs have failed to elect a government on the first attempt. The country is now waiting for the President to either grant the mandate to another candidate, or call for snap elections.

Kurti was granted the mandate to form the government on October 11 by President Vjosa Osmani—with 15 days to present his cabinet and program to the Assembly. Now, President Osmani has 10 days to nominate another political leader to form a new government.

Meanwhile, the Constitutional Court is still handling a complaint by Srpska Lista, the Belgrade-backed party representing Kosovo Serbs, objecting to the election of a deputy parliament speaker from the Serb community. Its ruling in this case could undermine the new parliament’s legitimacy.

Read more at: https://tinyurl.com/mrxucbmt